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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: row · rash · wind · bulb · vault · pit · sharp · chest

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rash — hasty
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wind — moving air
  10. row — a line
  11. bulb — for light
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pit — in a race
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pit — a hole
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rash — a series
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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