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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. clip — to cut
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mate — a friend
  5. clip — a video
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rock — music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mate — a partner
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. sharp — clever
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lean — thin
  22. rock — a stone
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. sharp — exactly

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