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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — the month
  8. rest — what's left
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. march — the month
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rule — government
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rest — a break
  18. march — music
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rule — a law
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fall — the season
  24. rule — to rule out

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