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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. squash — to crush
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. craft — boats
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mate — to breed
  8. content — happy
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — a friend
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. deal — to handle
  16. content — the amount
  17. craft — a skill
  18. squash — the sport
  19. date — the fruit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mate — a partner
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bulb — of a plant

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