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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: bulb · face · club · ball · ruler · pit · fall · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bulb — for light
  4. club — a group
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pit — in a race
  12. face — to confront
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. club — for golf
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bulb — for light

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