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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · bulb · mine · content · sharp · ball

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bulb — for light
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. content — the amount
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. content — happy
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mine — for digging
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mine — an explosive

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