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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — a law
  3. bulb — for light
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. game — a match
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. track — a path
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. track — a song
  17. rule — government
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pit — in a race
  22. clip — for paper
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pit — a hole

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