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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bore — to tire
  3. net — for catching
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bulb — for light
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. capital — a city
  8. content — the amount
  9. tube — a container
  10. net — after costs
  11. content — happy
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. capital — money
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. leaves — lets stay

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