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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 116 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cell — in biology
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bore — to drill

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