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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ground — a position
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rush — hurry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — happy
  18. bulb — for light
  19. charge — in control
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. charge — a price
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. content — the amount
  24. bat — the animal

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