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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cell — a phone
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — of water
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. content — the amount
  8. bass — low music
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. spring — a coil
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. spring — the season
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. craft — boats
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cell — in biology
  23. content — happy
  24. craft — a skill

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