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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kid — to tease
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. root — the cause
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. root — of a word
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pit — in a race
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kid — child
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. root — of a plant

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