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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · pass · chest · bulb · cold · scale · pit · bear

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. scale — in music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spell — letters
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — a permit
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bear — the animal

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