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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bulb — for light
  4. content — the amount
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. shower — rain
  8. spring — a coil
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. spring — of water
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. content — happy
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. charge — in control
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bulb — for light

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