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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 120 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: bulb · temple · drill · rest · content · rule · wound · chair

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — a law
  3. content — happy
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — for light
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. content — the amount
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rule — government
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chair — a leader

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