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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. clip — to cut
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rule — government
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mug — to rob
  17. spell — magic
  18. shower — rain
  19. bulb — for light
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spell — letters
  23. clip — a video
  24. bulb — for light

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