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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. content — the amount
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. land — ground
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pitch — completely
  9. land — a country
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. content — happy
  19. season — in sport
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. land — to come down
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pitch — a sports field

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