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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. clip — a video
  13. staff — a stick
  14. ground — the earth
  15. staff — employees
  16. snap — to click
  17. staff — employees
  18. ground — a position
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  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