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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. content — the amount
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. can — a tin
  7. bulb — for light
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fine — all right
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. roll — a cake
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fork — in a road
  15. content — happy
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bulb — for light
  19. can — a tin
  20. roll — a list
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitcher — a jug

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