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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: pit · rush · clip · last · key · bulb · hide · ball

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — for light
  4. key — the most important part
  5. clip — a video
  6. last — to go on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rush — hurry
  9. clip — to cut
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. last — finally
  13. pit — in a race
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pit — a hole
  21. key — in music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. last — final

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