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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: pit · degree · wound · roll · fork · last · fine · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. last — to go on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fine — all right
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. last — finally
  9. fine — high quality
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. last — final
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. roll — a list
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wound — an injury

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