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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. charge — a price
  4. clip — for paper
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. charge — in control
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bound — certain
  13. dip — to sink
  14. charge — electricity
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. clip — to cut

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