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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — to cut
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. tear — to rip
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rule — government
  8. bear — the animal
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rule — a law
  15. tear — from crying
  16. clip — a video
  17. track — a path
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. track — a song
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bear — to put up with

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