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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mine — for digging
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. shower — to wash
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. shower — rain
  21. clip — a video
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ground — a position
  24. coach — a trainer

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