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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — in sport
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. net — for catching
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. net — after costs
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. dip — to sink
  13. race — the arms race
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. clip — a video
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. race — humankind
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. race — a contest
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. content — happy
  24. wax — in the ear

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