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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. object — to protest
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — for paper
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bass — the fish
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. clip — a video
  12. club — for golf
  13. season — of the year
  14. bass — low music
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. object — an aim
  19. clip — to cut
  20. club — a group
  21. object — a thing
  22. bulb — for light
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. safe — a strongbox

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