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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bulb — for light
  7. content — the amount
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. key — in music
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bulb — for light
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitch — completely

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