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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. vault — a safe
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — the season
  7. content — happy
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. content — the amount
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. content — videos and posts

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