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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 116 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: key · chair · sharp · face · can · season · bulb · clip

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bulb — for light
  3. face — to confront
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. key — in music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. face — to point toward
  9. season — in sport
  10. clip — a video
  11. face — part of the head
  12. sharp — clever
  13. can — a tin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. clip — for paper
  19. season — of the year
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. key — for a lock
  24. can — a tin

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