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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wound — an injury
  3. present — there
  4. bulb — for light
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bulb — for light
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wound — an injury
  14. season — in sport
  15. present — the time now
  16. ground — the earth
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ground — a position
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. can — to be able to

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