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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · bulb · last · clip · pitcher · key · pit · chest

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pit — a hole
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. last — to go on
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. key — for a lock
  9. last — finally
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — in music
  15. last — final
  16. fine — high quality
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fine — all right

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