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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. court — of law
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. court — for sport
  11. lie — to recline
  12. ground — the earth
  13. clip — to cut
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — of a king
  24. bulb — for light

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