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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rush — hurry
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hand — help
  9. mark — a grade
  10. content — the amount
  11. bulb — for light
  12. content — happy
  13. hand — in cards
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. root — the cause
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. root — of a word
  24. leaves — lets stay

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