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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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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. deal — to handle
  3. net — in sport
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. net — after costs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mine — for digging
  24. net — for catching

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