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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bulb — for light
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pop — music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. file — a document
  11. pop — soda
  12. mug — a face
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. clip — a video
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wake — a trail
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. file — a tool

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