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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: key · toast · game · clip · lash · land · bulb · dip

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. dip — to sink
  3. clip — for paper
  4. key — for a lock
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. game — wild animals
  8. land — a country
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. toast — bread
  11. game — a match
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. key — the most important part
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. key — in music
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. land — ground
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. land — to come down
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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