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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · mug · straw · clip · date · ball · degree · stick

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. date — the fruit
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — from a university
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mug — a face
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mug — to rob
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mug — a cup
  16. degree — temperature
  17. clip — a video
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ball — a great time

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