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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. present — there
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. present — a gift
  7. bass — low music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bound — certain
  16. present — the time now
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. deal — to handle
  21. kick — in football
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. content — the amount

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