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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bulb — for light
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. clip — a video
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. present — the time now
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. clip — for paper
  19. key — in music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chest — a box

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