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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. content — the amount
  8. spell — magic
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. face — to confront
  12. band — a ring
  13. snap — to click
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. band — a music group
  18. spell — a short time
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. content — happy

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