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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. file — a tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bound — certain
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. court — of a king
  12. bound — obliged
  13. file — a line of people
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. court — for sport
  17. content — happy
  18. mug — a face
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bound — tied together
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. court — of law
  23. bear — the animal
  24. file — a document

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