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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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Word bank
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hand — in cards
  13. content — the amount
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bulb — for light
  17. content — happy
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hand — help
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mate — to breed
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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