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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. charge — a price
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. snap — to click
  11. bat — the animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bulb — for light
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. clip — a video
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. shower — rain
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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