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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bank — of a river
  6. date — the fruit
  7. toast — bread
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bank — for money
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. content — the amount
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bank — for money
  19. cell — in biology
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. content — happy
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cabinet — ministers

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