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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — for paper
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. shower — to wash
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fall — the season
  15. clip — a video
  16. board — to get on
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — a path
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wind — moving air
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. board — a committee
  24. fall — to drop

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