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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: ground · mark · bulb · fan · chip · cold · hide · content

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ground — a position
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. chip — for betting
  15. content — happy
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fan — a supporter

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