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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. march — music
  3. content — happy
  4. pop — to visit
  5. charge — in control
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bulb — for light
  8. charge — electricity
  9. row — a line
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — soda
  12. content — the amount
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bulb — for light
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. row — to paddle
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — music
  19. charge — a price
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. coach — a trainer

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