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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pop — music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pop — soda
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rash — a series
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bass — low music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pop — to visit
  17. clip — a video
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bulb — for light
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bass — the fish

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