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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rock — music
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. last — final
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fan — a supporter

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