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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bulb — for light
  4. content — happy
  5. key — the most important part
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. tear — to rip
  12. drill — a practice
  13. content — the amount
  14. drill — the tool
  15. shower — rain
  16. key — in music
  17. drill — army training
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — to wash

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