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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bulb — for light
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. firm — decided
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. firm — a company
  11. key — in music
  12. content — happy
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. snap — to click
  16. content — the amount
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bulb — for light
  20. firm — steady
  21. key — for a lock
  22. field — a subject
  23. key — the most important part
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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