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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. roll — a list
  6. cue — for pool
  7. clip — a video
  8. cue — a hint
  9. court — for sport
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cue — a signal
  13. court — of law
  14. roll — a cake
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. court — of a king
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wake — a trail

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