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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. hand — help
  5. clip — a video
  6. ball — a great time
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. roll — a list
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. roll — a cake
  12. clip — to cut
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. foot — a measure
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. scale — in music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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