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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bound — tied together
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. content — the amount
  7. bulb — for light
  8. content — happy
  9. ground — a position
  10. game — a match
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. game — wild animals
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bound — obliged
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bound — certain
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tube — a container
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ground — crushed

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