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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. content — happy
  4. saw — the tool
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. squash — the sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bass — the fish
  20. squash — to crush
  21. content — the amount
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bass — low music

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