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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — government
  3. ground — the earth
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hand — help
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. season — in sport
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. rule — a law
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. content — happy
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bore — to drill
  20. content — the amount
  21. season — of the year
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bowl — a football final

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