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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. content — the amount
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. content — happy
  9. track — a song
  10. last — final
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a ring
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. band — a music group
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. track — a path
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fan — to cool the air

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