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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. court — of law
  5. suit — to fit
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. clip — a video
  10. bulb — for light
  11. suit — in cards
  12. row — a line
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. row — to paddle
  15. suit — clothes
  16. fine — all right
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. court — for sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. court — of a king
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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