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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. object — to protest
  7. ground — crushed
  8. can — a tin
  9. object — a thing
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ground — a position
  17. object — an aim
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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