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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: can · pit · date · bowl · bulb · arm · staff · chest

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — to be able to
  4. staff — employees
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bulb — for light
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. can — a tin
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. can — a tin
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — a stick
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bulb — for light
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. date — on the calendar

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