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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. content — happy
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fine — all right
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fine — high quality
  8. root — the cause
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. content — the amount
  18. pit — in a race
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rock — 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