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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. land — to come down
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. land — a country
  8. firm — decided
  9. bulb — for light
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. land — ground
  12. swing — to play on
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. firm — a company
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. content — the amount
  21. firm — steady
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. swing — music

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