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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. deal — to handle
  5. clip — a video
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ball — a great time
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cold — an illness
  11. clip — for paper
  12. branch — a division
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ball — a dance
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. clip — to cut
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. deal — an agreement

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