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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. content — happy
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. dip — to sink
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cue — for pool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bulb — for light
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. capital — money
  15. cue — a signal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. capital — a city
  22. sharp — clever
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. chair — a professorship

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