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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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Word bank
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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: bear · march · bat · mine · pit · ball · saw · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bat — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pit — in a race
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pit — a hole
  22. ball — a great time
  23. march — music
  24. ball — a round shape

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