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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. content — happy
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bear — the animal
  23. content — the amount
  24. straw — a straw man

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