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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. drill — army training
  11. content — happy
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. key — the most important part
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. key — for a lock
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mark — a grade
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitch — completely
  20. key — in music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — in biology

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