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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. clip — a video
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. swing — music
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. roll — a list
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. chair — a leader
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mine — for digging
  21. roll — a cake
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chair — to sit on

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