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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — of a king
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — a group
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. club — for dancing
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. craft — boats
  14. bat — the animal
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — a video
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rest — a break
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. club — for golf
  24. clip — to cut

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