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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. content — the amount
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chest — a box
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. chest — of your body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fine — all right
  21. land — ground
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. fall — the season
  24. content — happy

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