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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. content — happy
  2. drill — a practice
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. drill — army training
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bulb — for light
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pop — to visit
  14. tube — the underground
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. tube — a container
  23. pop — music
  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