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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
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: pit · content · bulb · wind · fall · ball · can · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. content — happy
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. can — a tin
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pit — in a race
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. can — to be able to
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fall — the season
  21. bulb — for light
  22. can — a tin
  23. ball — a dance
  24. fall — to drop

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