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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — soda
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pop — music
  15. content — the amount
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bulb — for light

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