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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. clip — for paper
  7. toast — bread
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rest — a break
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. land — to come down
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rest — what's left
  15. march — the month
  16. land — a country
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. clip — a video
  22. rest — what's left
  23. land — ground
  24. march — music

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