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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. clip — a video
  10. foot — a measure
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rule — government
  24. foot — part of the body

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