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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bulb — for light
  8. clip — to cut
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. game — a match
  14. track — a song
  15. lean — to bend
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. clip — for paper
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. track — a path
  20. lean — thin
  21. plane — a tool
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. track — to keep track
  24. clip — a video

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