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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: pass · content · safe · file · net · bulb · season · last

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. content — the amount
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — in sport
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. pass — a permit
  10. last — to go on
  11. season — of the year
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. last — finally
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. file — a document
  18. bulb — for light
  19. content — happy
  20. file — a tool
  21. last — final
  22. season — in sport
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. file — a line of people

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