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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bulb — for light
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. key — the most important part
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — in music
  14. chest — a box
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. tube — the underground
  17. board — to get on
  18. tube — a container
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. board — a committee
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chest — of your body
  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