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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitch — completely
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bulb — for light
  15. clip — for paper
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pound — a weight
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pound — to hit hard

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