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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. present — there
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. present — the time now
  7. clip — for paper
  8. band — a ring
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. bulb — for light
  15. present — a gift
  16. clip — a video
  17. bulb — for light
  18. charge — electricity
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wound — an injury

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