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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. drill — army training
  3. mate — a partner
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. content — the amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. degree — an amount
  11. swing — music
  12. mate — a friend
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. content — happy
  15. mate — to breed
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. degree — temperature
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. leaves — lets stay

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