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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rest — what's left
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bulb — for light
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. net — after costs
  8. rest — a break
  9. bear — the animal
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. net — in sport
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. net — for catching
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pit — a hole
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. pit — in a race
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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