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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. clip — for paper
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wound — an injury
  6. deal — to handle
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. clip — to cut
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ball — a dance
  15. clip — a video
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. deal — a big deal

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