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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: toast · nail · bat · wind · bulb · clip · staff · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pit — in a race
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. clip — a video
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. clip — to cut
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. toast — bread
  20. bat — the animal
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bulb — for light
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. nail — for a hammer

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