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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · deal · bulb · game · pitcher · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — for paper
  3. game — wild animals
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. game — a match
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. saw — the tool
  13. deal — to handle
  14. clip — a video
  15. bulb — for light
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. deal — an agreement

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