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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. content — happy
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — to cut
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. staff — employees
  8. clip — for paper
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. clip — a video
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. staff — employees
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. sharp — clever
  17. content — the amount
  18. plane — a tool

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