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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. object — a thing
  8. hand — help
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spring — the season
  17. fall — the season
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. object — an aim
  23. spring — of water
  24. bulb — for light

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