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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. scale — in music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mate — a partner
  10. scale — size or range
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mate — a friend
  23. clip — a video
  24. mouse — the animal

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