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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 · shower · pit · saw · deal · can · bat · season

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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. season — of the year
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pit — a hole
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. shower — rain
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — the animal
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bulb — for light
  20. season — in sport
  21. pit — in a race
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. can — a tin
  24. deal — a big deal

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