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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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. bowl — a dish
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — for dancing
  9. staff — employees
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bound — certain
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bound — tied together
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. club — for golf
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. march — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. club — a group
  24. march — the month

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