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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 116 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — of the year
  3. pop — soda
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. court — of law
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. shower — rain
  9. pop — music
  10. season — in sport
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. shower — to wash
  17. court — of a king
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. court — for sport
  21. content — happy
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pop — to visit
  24. ruler — a monarch

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