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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spell — magic
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spell — a short time
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. ground — the earth
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chest — of your body
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ground — a position
  16. bulb — for light
  17. snap — to click
  18. band — a ring
  19. spell — letters
  20. content — happy
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. content — the amount
  23. chest — a box
  24. safe — a strongbox

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