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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. roll — a list
  10. bulb — for light
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pass — a permit
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bulb — of a plant

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