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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. net — after costs
  3. bulb — for light
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. squash — to crush
  8. net — for catching
  9. squash — the sport
  10. clip — a video
  11. kid — child
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. suit — to fit
  14. clip — to cut
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bulb — for light
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kid — to tease
  20. clip — for paper
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. suit — clothes
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. net — in sport

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