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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 · deal · bore · fan · game · bulb · content · court

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. content — happy
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bore — to drill
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. present — there
  8. content — the amount
  9. deal — to handle
  10. present — a gift
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. game — a match
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. court — of a king
  19. present — the time now
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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