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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fine — all right
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pit — in a race
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — a phone
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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