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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cell — in biology
  9. content — the amount
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rule — government
  13. content — happy
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. kid — child
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bat — the animal
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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