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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. board — a committee
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bulb — for light
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mate — a friend
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. mate — a partner
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — to cut
  19. board — to get on
  20. clip — a video
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mate — to breed

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