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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: bulb · pit · cold · kick · cell · root · deal · hide

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cold — an illness
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pit — a hole
  9. root — of a word
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bulb — for light
  12. root — the cause
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pit — in a race
  16. kick — in football
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cell — a phone

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