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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. track — a song
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pop — soda
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pop — music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. track — a path
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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