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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. content — happy
  3. object — a thing
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bass — low music
  14. object — an aim
  15. bat — the animal
  16. object — to protest
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bulb — for light
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. craft — boats
  23. content — the amount
  24. bulb — for light

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