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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 124 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fall — to drop
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rash — hasty
  7. content — happy
  8. fall — the season
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wind — moving air
  22. content — the amount
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bulb — for light

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