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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mine — for digging
  8. kick — in football
  9. clip — a video
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mark — a grade
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. clip — to cut

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