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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: present · pitcher · firm · scale · content · bay · bulb · race

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. content — happy
  3. present — the time now
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. race — a contest
  6. bulb — for light
  7. race — humankind
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. firm — a company
  10. present — there
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. scale — size or range
  14. content — the amount
  15. firm — steady
  16. scale — in music
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bulb — for light
  19. present — a gift
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. firm — decided

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