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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. root — of a plant
  10. charge — electricity
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bulb — for light
  15. charge — a price
  16. spell — a short time
  17. sharp — clever
  18. root — the cause
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. charge — in control
  21. clip — a video
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cap — of ice
  24. root — of a word

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