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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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. court — of law
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bulb — for light
  8. court — for sport
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. court — of a king
  13. file — a tool
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. can — a tin
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mark — a grade
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mark — a trace
  23. file — a document
  24. charge — a price

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