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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pit — a hole
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tube — a container
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. toast — bread
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. hand — help
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bulb — for light
  24. root — the cause

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