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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. content — happy
  7. fall — the season
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fall — to drop
  10. board — to get on
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fall — to drop
  15. content — the amount
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. court — of law
  18. board — a committee
  19. season — of the year
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. season — in sport
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bulb — of a plant

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