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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. drill — a practice
  5. tube — a container
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pit — in a race
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. sharp — clever
  18. drill — army training
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com