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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cap — of ice
  4. content — the amount
  5. field — farmland
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — a break
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rule — a law
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — for sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rule — government
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. field — a subject
  22. content — happy
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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