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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bulb — for light
  4. charge — in control
  5. clip — for paper
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mug — a face
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. squash — to crush
  12. charge — a price
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. root — of a plant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mug — a cup
  18. clip — a video
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. ball — a dance
  22. root — the cause
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wound — an injury

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