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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 120 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — in music
  3. content — the amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. key — for a lock
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. shower — to wash
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. content — happy
  13. shower — rain
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. capital — a city
  18. bulb — for light
  19. key — the most important part
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bulb — of a plant

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