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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pit — a hole
  3. club — for golf
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. club — for dancing
  6. content — the amount
  7. rule — government
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pop — soda
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pit — in a race
  12. content — happy
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pop — music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rule — a law
  24. club — a group

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