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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 · content · racket

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. clip — a video
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. deal — to handle
  10. clip — to cut
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. content — happy
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bulb — for light
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. game — a match
  24. bulb — of a plant

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