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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. content — happy
  4. fine — all right
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fine — high quality
  12. shower — to wash
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. shower — rain
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. sharp — clever
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. kid — child
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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