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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — hurry
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. game — a match
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. content — the amount
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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