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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. object — to protest
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. content — the amount
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. charge — a price
  15. bulb — for light
  16. object — a thing
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — to wash
  19. object — an aim
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lash — an eyelash

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