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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. present — the time now
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bulb — for light
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. cap — a hat
  8. content — the amount
  9. net — in sport
  10. rash — hasty
  11. march — the month
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. object — a thing
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bulb — for light
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift
  19. content — happy
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. object — an aim
  23. rash — a series
  24. bulb — of a plant

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