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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. degree — an amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — a coil
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. degree — temperature
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spring — of water
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — from a university
  16. content — happy
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. content — the amount
  24. cue — for pool

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