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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. file — a tool
  3. bulb — for light
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — farmland
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — for sport
  11. mug — a face
  12. content — happy
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. field — a subject
  16. content — the amount
  17. file — a document
  18. drill — army training
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. file — a line of people
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. staff — a stick
  24. roll — a cake

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