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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. present — a gift
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. present — the time now
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. band — a music group
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bulb — for light
  11. present — there
  12. scale — in music
  13. content — happy
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. band — a ring
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. content — the amount
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ground — crushed

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