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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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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: bulb · squash · bear · content · toast · cap · rock · bat

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bulb — for light
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bat — the animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cap — a lid
  21. toast — bread
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. toast — the most admired

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