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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. clip — to cut
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spell — letters
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — of the year
  21. mark — a trace
  22. kid — child
  23. season — in sport
  24. bulb — for light

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