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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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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: row · mouse · cell · bulb · ball · pass · clip · cap

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pass — a permit
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cap — a hat
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. row — a line
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — a quarrel

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