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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. content — happy
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. drill — army training
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. track — a song
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. drill — a practice
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. track — a path
  15. mate — to breed
  16. content — the amount
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mate — a partner
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — low music
  24. mate — a friend

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