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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 124 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. chip — for betting
  6. clip — a video
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. arm — part of the body

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