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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bulb — for light
  3. content — happy
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. shower — rain
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. content — the amount

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