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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. ground — the earth
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. clip — a video
  5. bear — the animal
  6. kid — child
  7. season — of the year
  8. ground — crushed
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ground — a position
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bulb — for light
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bear — the animal
  22. season — in sport
  23. bat — the animal
  24. snap — to click

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