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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: bulb · chest · march · object · net · tube · pit · ball

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. net — after costs
  3. chest — a box
  4. object — to protest
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a dance
  10. object — a thing
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. pit — a hole
  14. march — music
  15. net — in sport
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. net — for catching
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bulb — for light
  21. object — an aim
  22. march — the month
  23. bulb — for light
  24. march — the month

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