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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of a king
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. court — of law
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spell — magic
  10. court — for sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rule — a law
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — in football
  22. content — happy
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rule — government

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