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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. net — after costs
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — to confront
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. shower — rain
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. net — in sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — happy
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. face — to point toward
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — the amount
  24. net — for catching

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