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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 124 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bulb — for light
  10. clip — a video
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. ground — crushed
  14. clip — for paper
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rock — music
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. ground — a position
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bulb — for light
  24. nail — for a hammer

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