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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ground — a position
  5. content — the amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fine — all right
  8. content — happy
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bulb — for light
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ground — the earth
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fine — high quality
  23. ground — crushed
  24. date — the fruit

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