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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cap — a lid
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. clip — a video
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cap — of ice
  13. clip — for paper
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. shower — to wash
  16. clip — to cut
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. cap — a hat

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