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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bulb — for light
  4. ground — a position
  5. chest — of your body
  6. clip — a video
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — a box
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ground — crushed
  19. swing — music
  20. can — a tin
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chest — of your body

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