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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. clip — for paper
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pop — to visit
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. bulb — for light
  12. clip — a video
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pop — soda
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pop — music
  21. bound — certain
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. clip — to cut
  24. degree — an amount

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