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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bulb — for light
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ball — a dance
  11. last — final
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fall — the season
  14. last — to go on
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — of water
  19. pit — a hole
  20. content — happy
  21. last — finally
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. content — the amount

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