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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. key — for a lock
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. content — the amount
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. content — happy
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stock — shares
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bulb — for light
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wound — an injury
  23. scale — in music
  24. key — in music

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