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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: court · pass · rush · calf · bass · clip · arm · bulb

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. court — of law
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pass — a permit
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bulb — for light
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. clip — to cut
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. court — of a king
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rush — hurry
  24. court — for sport

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