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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 120 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spell — magic
  4. clip — a video
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. clip — for paper
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mug — a face
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mug — a cup
  12. court — of a king
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. field — a subject
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. court — for sport
  22. bulb — for light
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — to trim

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