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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 116 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. court — for sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — a video
  6. season — of the year
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — for paper
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. drill — army training
  13. court — of a king
  14. drill — a practice
  15. season — in sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. court — of law
  20. clip — to cut
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. drill — the tool

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