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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bulb — for light
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bulb — for light
  6. content — the amount
  7. shower — rain
  8. content — happy
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bound — obliged
  11. firm — a company
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. firm — decided
  15. bound — certain
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. shower — to wash
  19. firm — steady
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. bound — tied together
  23. scale — in music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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