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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — to come down
  6. spring — of water
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spring — the season
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spring — a coil
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chair — a leader
  14. land — a country
  15. spell — magic
  16. land — ground
  17. bulb — for light
  18. can — a tin
  19. clip — for paper
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. spell — letters
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. spell — a short time

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