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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bulb — for light
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bulb — for light
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wind — moving air
  11. content — happy
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. swing — music
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. staff — a stick
  21. fine — high quality
  22. content — the amount
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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