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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. clip — a video
  7. cue — for pool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. hand — help
  14. bear — the animal
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. clip — to cut
  18. scale — in music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cue — a signal
  24. hand — in cards

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