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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mark — a grade
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. court — of a king
  7. content — the amount
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bulb — for light
  10. court — for sport
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bulb — for light
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. lean — thin
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — of law
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. content — happy
  23. mark — a trace
  24. snap — to click

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