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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ball — a great time
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. content — the amount
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ball — a dance
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. snap — to click
  12. deal — to handle
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. stock — shares
  15. bulb — for light
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. content — happy
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stock — goods
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. file — a document

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