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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — to confront
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. clip — for paper
  13. face — part of the head
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. clip — a video
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ground — the earth

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