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

Word bank: pit · cabinet · band · bulb · nail · dip · content · sharp

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bulb — for light
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a music group
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bulb — for light
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pit — a hole
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pit — in a race
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. band — a ring
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cabinet — ministers

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