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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. staff — employees
  5. content — happy
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. staff — a stick
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. key — for a lock
  12. staff — employees
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bulb — for light
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. key — in music
  21. net — in sport
  22. key — the most important part
  23. net — after costs
  24. racket — a loud noise

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