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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: hide · row · mark · bulb · arm · pit · clip · court

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. court — of a king
  3. mark — a grade
  4. court — for sport
  5. clip — a video
  6. court — of law
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bulb — for light
  9. row — a line
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. clip — for paper
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mark — a trace
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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