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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. clip — a video
  3. band — a music group
  4. cap — a lid
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — for paper
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. game — a match
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a ring
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. clip — to cut
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hand — in cards
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cap — a hat
  24. racket — for tennis

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