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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. chip — for betting
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bulb — for light
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. last — to go on
  9. scale — in music
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — finally
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. kid — child
  18. chip — to eat
  19. spell — letters
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kid — to tease
  23. content — the amount
  24. scale — for weighing

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