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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. craft — boats
  3. last — finally
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lean — thin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lean — to bend
  12. face — to confront
  13. last — final
  14. present — the time now
  15. last — to go on
  16. content — the amount
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. present — there
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bulb — for light
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. present — a gift

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