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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 116 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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. file — a tool
  4. clip — a video
  5. court — of a king
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kick — in football
  11. court — of law
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. court — for sport
  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