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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. band — a music group
  3. mug — a cup
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mate — a friend
  6. content — the amount
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mug — a face
  14. content — happy
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mate — a partner
  24. band — a ring

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