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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. staff — employees
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. staff — a stick
  13. file — a tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mine — for digging
  17. file — a document
  18. clip — a video
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bass — low music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bulb — of a plant

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