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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kick — in football
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. spell — letters
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — magic
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rest — a break
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. clip — to cut
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. clip — a video
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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