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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bulb — for light
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. suit — in cards
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. clip — a video
  16. bat — the animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. content — happy
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. clip — to cut
  21. content — the amount
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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