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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitch — completely
  6. spell — magic
  7. staff — a stick
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. spell — letters
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cap — of ice
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cap — a lid
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. clip — to cut
  24. deal — an agreement

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