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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. clip — a video
  3. net — for catching
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bulb — for light
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. net — in sport
  10. file — a document
  11. mug — a face
  12. net — after costs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bat — the animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mug — to rob

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