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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bulb — for light
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. current — of water
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. track — to keep track
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. track — a song
  10. deal — to handle
  11. clip — for paper
  12. band — a ring
  13. ball — a dance
  14. clip — to cut
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. track — a path
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. clip — a video

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