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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. scale — in music
  3. content — the amount
  4. current — happening now
  5. scale — size or range
  6. capital — money
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rest — a break
  9. stem — to come from
  10. face — to point toward
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — electric
  15. rest — what's left
  16. face — to confront
  17. capital — a city
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. current — of water
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. content — happy

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