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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rush — hurry
  8. land — ground
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. land — a country
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rest — a break
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. land — to come down
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rush — a thrill

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