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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. club — for dancing
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mine — for digging
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. club — a group
  19. game — a match
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. club — for golf
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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