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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 120 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — a video
  6. lean — thin
  7. kick — in football
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. object — a thing
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. lean — to bend
  12. club — for golf
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bulb — for light
  16. clip — to cut
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. club — for dancing
  20. clip — for paper
  21. club — a group
  22. object — an aim
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. object — to protest

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