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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ground — a position
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. present — a gift
  11. content — happy
  12. staff — a stick
  13. present — there
  14. staff — employees
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. present — the time now
  17. land — a country
  18. staff — employees
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. land — ground
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bound — certain
  24. land — to come down

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