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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bulb — for light
  3. board — to get on
  4. track — a song
  5. board — a committee
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. clip — for paper
  9. court — of law
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. court — for sport
  16. clip — a video
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. staff — employees
  19. court — of a king
  20. track — to keep track
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. staff — employees

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