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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. clip — a video
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bass — the fish
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rest — a break
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bore — to tire
  16. clip — to cut
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — to go on
  21. pop — music
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pop — soda
  24. bass — low music

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