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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cell — a phone
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cell — in biology
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — music
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — to pay attention

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