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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 · bowl · capital · chest · pit · ground · fork · snap

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. snap — to click
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. capital — a city
  19. ground — a position
  20. pit — in a race
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chest — a box
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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