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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. content — the amount
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. file — a line of people
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. march — the month
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bulb — for light
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a tool
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a document
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. content — happy
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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