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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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bulb — for light
  4. clip — to cut
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. present — a gift
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. clip — a video
  13. present — there
  14. bulb — for light
  15. content — the amount
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. clip — for paper

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