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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. march — music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. content — the amount
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. march — the month
  12. content — happy
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. march — the month
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — for light
  23. scale — in music
  24. content — videos and posts

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