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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. race — a contest
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. clip — to cut
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. staff — employees
  9. bulb — for light
  10. race — humankind
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. race — the arms race
  15. track — a path
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. staff — employees
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. scale — in music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. staff — a stick

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