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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kick — in football
  15. board — to get on
  16. bulb — for light
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — in an idiom

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