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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: mark · bulb · kick · spell · roll · rash · clip · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. roll — a cake
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. clip — a video
  11. roll — a list
  12. spell — magic
  13. kick — in football
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rash — a series
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rash — hasty
  20. toast — bread
  21. spell — letters
  22. clip — for paper
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mark — a grade

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