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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — a video
  4. bulb — for light
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. content — happy
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. content — the amount
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. swing — in golf
  18. clip — for paper
  19. swing — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. clip — to cut

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