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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lie — to recline
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pop — music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. clip — a video
  17. net — after costs
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. game — a match
  22. pop — soda
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lie — an untruth

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