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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. march — the month
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wake — a trail
  12. squash — the sport
  13. march — the month
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bulb — for light
  22. march — music
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. squash — the vegetable

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