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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. land — a country
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. dip — to sink
  8. content — happy
  9. mug — a face
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mug — to rob
  12. land — to come down
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fall — the season
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — ground

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