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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. content — the amount
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. court — of a king
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. court — of law
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. land — ground
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitch — completely
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. court — for sport

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