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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bulb — for light
  5. content — the amount
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — to recline
  9. club — for golf
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. current — happening now
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. club — a group
  14. content — happy
  15. rash — a series
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. rash — hasty
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — a line

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