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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 120 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. content — the amount
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bulb — for light
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mine — for digging
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. deal — to handle
  13. content — happy
  14. track — a path
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bulb — for light
  19. track — a song
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. track — to keep track
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fan — to cool the air

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