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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. last — final
  11. scale — size or range
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. scale — in music
  14. last — to go on
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. last — finally
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — happy
  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