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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bulb — for light
  6. track — a song
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rock — music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — an illness
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. root — the cause
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. root — of a word
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. content — happy
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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