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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kick — in football
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. content — the amount
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. content — happy
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fine — all right
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bulb — of a plant

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