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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. bulb — for light
  2. dip — to sink
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bound — tied together
  6. content — happy
  7. fork — in a road
  8. drill — a practice
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — a short time
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spell — magic
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. content — the amount
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. drill — army training
  23. spell — letters
  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