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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. 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. scale — for weighing
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. clip — to cut
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. clip — for paper
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. scale — in music
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. game — a match
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pitch — completely
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. clip — a video
  24. 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