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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 116 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. content — the amount
  4. object — a thing
  5. rule — a law
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rule — government
  9. content — happy
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fork — in a road
  13. object — an aim
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. object — to protest
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. vault — a safe
  21. deal — to handle
  22. plane — a tool
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. plane — in geometry

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