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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 120 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: safe · season · mug · cell · squash · bulb · bowl · clip

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cell — in biology
  4. clip — for paper
  5. season — in sport
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mug — to rob
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. squash — to crush
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. clip — a video
  17. mug — a cup
  18. clip — to cut
  19. season — of the year
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mug — a face
  23. squash — the sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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