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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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. last — finally
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. game — wild animals
  6. content — happy
  7. craft — a skill
  8. game — a match
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bulb — for light
  11. craft — boats
  12. present — the time now
  13. content — the amount
  14. present — a gift
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. last — final
  18. present — there

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