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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bulb — for light
  4. face — to confront
  5. content — the amount
  6. rush — hurry
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. content — happy
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bulb — for light
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — for sport
  13. face — to point toward
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — to crush
  18. field — a subject
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. squash — the sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rush — to hurry

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