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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · present · toast · hand · pound · root · racket · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. toast — bread
  7. root — the cause
  8. present — there
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bulb — for light
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — help
  14. present — a gift
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. present — the time now
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pit — in a race

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