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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wind — moving air
  4. content — happy
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bulb — for light
  16. firm — steady
  17. chest — of your body
  18. content — the amount
  19. firm — a company
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. firm — decided
  24. roll — a cake

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