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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mate — a partner
  4. present — there
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lean — thin
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. content — the amount
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bulb — for light
  15. board — a committee
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. present — a gift
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lean — to bend
  21. content — happy
  22. present — the time now
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. board — to get on

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