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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bulb — for light
  4. content — happy
  5. key — the most important part
  6. track — a path
  7. key — in music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a song
  11. land — a country
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. land — to come down
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. key — for a lock
  21. game — a match
  22. bass — low music
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bass — the instrument

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