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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. spring — of water
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. chip — to eat
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. key — in music
  15. bass — low music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. key — the most important part
  18. squash — to crush
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chip — for betting
  21. spring — the season
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bass — the fish
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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