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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · content · bulb · wound · pop · pit · chest · fan

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. content — the amount
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chest — a box
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — soda
  24. content — happy

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