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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. last — finally
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. charge — a price
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bulb — for light
  14. clip — a video
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. clip — for paper
  18. plane — a tool
  19. band — a music group
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. clip — to cut

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