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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. last — final
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lean — thin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lean — to bend
  11. last — finally
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. snap — to click
  16. perch — the fish
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. last — to go on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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