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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — part of the head
  3. content — happy
  4. staff — a stick
  5. game — wild animals
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. staff — employees
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. capital — money
  14. face — to confront
  15. squash — the sport
  16. face — to point toward
  17. content — the amount
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bulb — for light
  21. capital — a city
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. staff — employees
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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