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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. snap — to click
  5. bulb — for light
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. object — a thing
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. foot — a measure
  21. object — an aim
  22. clip — to cut
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. object — to protest

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