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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. court — for sport
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bat — the animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. court — of law
  8. content — the amount
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bear — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. court — of a king
  20. snap — to click
  21. bulb — for light
  22. season — in sport
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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