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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. clip — for paper
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fork — in a road
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. court — of a king
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. court — of law
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. court — for sport
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fork — to eat with

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