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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mug — a cup
  4. march — music
  5. chest — a box
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bulb — for light
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cue — for pool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chest — of your body
  23. march — the month
  24. mug — a face

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