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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 116 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mug — a cup
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. clip — for paper
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pop — soda
  10. clip — to cut
  11. hand — help
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pop — to visit
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pop — music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. clip — a video
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mug — to rob
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mug — a face

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