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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. game — a match
  3. clip — for paper
  4. net — in sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. net — after costs
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lean — to bend
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. clip — to cut
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lean — thin
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. net — for catching
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — a video

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