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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. last — finally
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. content — happy
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. branch — a division
  19. bear — the animal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — in an idiom

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