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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.

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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. track — a song
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. track — a path
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. spell — letters
  18. stand — to bear
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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