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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. snap — to click
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. march — music
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. content — the amount
  14. capital — a city
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. capital — money
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rock — music
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. coach — a trainer

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