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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. content — the amount
  3. land — a country
  4. present — a gift
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fall — the season
  15. present — the time now
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. fall — to drop
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. content — happy
  20. present — there
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. land — ground
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. court — for sport

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