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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: file · content · chair · last · spring · bulb · mark · ball

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ball — a dance
  6. last — to go on
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spring — of water
  10. mark — a grade
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. last — finally
  16. chair — a leader
  17. last — final
  18. file — a line of people
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. content — happy
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. ball — a round shape

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