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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. season — in sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pop — music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. row — a line
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. content — the amount
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. content — happy
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. season — of the year
  24. row — to paddle

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