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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. ball — a dance
  4. game — a match
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitch — completely
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — a container
  18. bulb — for light
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. content — the amount
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. coach — a trainer

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