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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: sharp · pop · bulb · arm · hand · track · content · face

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bulb — for light
  4. face — to point toward
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. track — a path
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hand — help
  10. pop — music
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bulb — for light
  16. face — to confront
  17. content — the amount
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. content — happy
  24. pop — soda

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