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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. ground — a position
  3. bulb — for light
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chair — a leader
  6. spell — magic
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. content — the amount
  10. spell — letters
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bulb — of a plant

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