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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bulb — for light
  3. file — a document
  4. charge — in control
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. charge — a price
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wound — an injury
  16. content — the amount
  17. snap — to click
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. content — happy
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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