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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mate — a partner
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. club — for golf
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pound — a weight
  11. club — a group
  12. clip — for paper
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mate — a friend
  17. club — for dancing
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mate — to breed
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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