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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. toast — bread
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. clip — a video
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stand — to bear
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. foot — a measure
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. clip — to cut

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