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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 120 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: key · present · cold · pit · bulb · chest · wave · band

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cold — not warm
  4. present — there
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chest — a box
  8. bulb — for light
  9. band — a music group
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. key — for a lock
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. present — a gift
  20. key — in music
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. present — the time now
  23. pit — a hole
  24. band — a ring

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