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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. vault — a safe
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. last — final
  7. content — the amount
  8. stock — shares
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. last — finally
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. content — happy
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. last — to go on
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. racket — for tennis

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