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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kick — in football
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lie — to recline
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. clip — a video
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. current — electric
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rash — a series
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. clip — to cut
  22. current — of water
  23. rash — hasty
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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