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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. foot — a measure
  4. file — a document
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. object — to protest
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bulb — for light
  13. clip — to cut
  14. file — a line of people
  15. key — for a lock
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bass — low music
  20. wake — a trail
  21. key — in music
  22. clip — a video
  23. file — a tool
  24. bass — the instrument

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