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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. kick — in football
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. season — of the year
  11. rash — a series
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — in sport
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — to cut
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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