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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — a path
  5. march — the month
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. content — happy
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. game — a match
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — a song
  17. squash — the sport
  18. content — the amount
  19. march — music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. track — to keep track

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