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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — of law
  4. content — the amount
  5. firm — decided
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. content — happy
  14. mine — for digging
  15. court — for sport
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bulb — for light
  18. firm — a company
  19. row — to paddle
  20. firm — steady
  21. row — a line
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bulb — for light
  24. court — of a king

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