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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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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. charge — in control
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cue — a signal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a great time
  9. clip — a video
  10. charge — a price
  11. track — a path
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. charge — electricity
  14. ball — a dance
  15. track — a song
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fine — all right
  18. cue — for pool

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