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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bass — low music
  3. content — happy
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. field — a subject
  6. bulb — for light
  7. content — the amount
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. mark — a trace
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bass — the fish
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. deal — an agreement

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