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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. swing — in golf
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. swing — music
  8. content — happy
  9. last — to go on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. content — the amount
  24. coach — a trainer

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