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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. charge — electricity
  4. content — happy
  5. pop — soda
  6. bulb — for light
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pop — to visit
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. charge — in control
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pop — music
  16. content — the amount
  17. charge — a price
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. content — videos and posts

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