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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bulb — for light
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. spell — a short time
  8. clip — a video
  9. shower — rain
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spell — magic
  13. ball — a great time
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bulb — for light
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spell — letters
  19. saw — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — to wash

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