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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 120 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — government
  7. bulb — for light
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wound — an injury
  10. plane — a tool
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bulb — for light
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. clip — to cut
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. clip — a video
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rule — a law

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