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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: bat · shower · bulb · kid · pit · racket · prune · ruler

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. kid — child
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pit — in a race
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bulb — for light
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. kid — to tease

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