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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: game · tube · bulb · cue · wound · content · cell · pit

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. tube — a container
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pit — a hole
  6. game — a match
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cue — a hint
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. content — happy
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cue — a signal
  22. content — the amount
  23. cell — in biology
  24. game — a kind of play

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