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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — for light
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. land — a country
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chest — a box
  15. content — happy
  16. game — wild animals
  17. track — a song
  18. content — the amount
  19. chest — of your body
  20. game — a match
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — ground
  24. mate — a friend

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