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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wound — an injury
  3. foot — a measure
  4. content — happy
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bulb — for light
  11. race — a contest
  12. wound — an injury
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bear — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. content — the amount
  21. race — humankind
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. nail — on a finger

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