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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. march — music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cell — a phone
  7. march — the month
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. clip — a video
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. clip — to cut
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — the month
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. scale — in music
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. foot — a measure

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