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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: pit · court · bulb · clip · stick · suit · rash · temple

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rash — a series
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bulb — for light
  6. court — of a king
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. suit — clothes
  10. court — for sport
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pit — a hole
  16. court — of law
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. clip — a video
  20. suit — in cards
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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