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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. spell — a short time
  3. content — the amount
  4. craft — boats
  5. spring — the season
  6. spell — magic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. spell — letters
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. spring — a coil
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. toast — bread
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spring — of water
  20. bulb — for light
  21. craft — a skill
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bulb — for light

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