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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. content — happy
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pit — a hole
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bulb — for light
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. swing — music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pit — in a race
  22. swing — in golf
  23. content — the amount
  24. temple — a place of worship

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