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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cold — not warm
  3. suit — clothes
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cold — an illness
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rash — a series
  10. suit — in cards
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rash — hasty
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. content — the amount
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. content — happy
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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