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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. lean — to bend
  3. clip — for paper
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. file — a line of people
  11. clip — a video
  12. lean — thin
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. file — a document
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. file — a tool
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. tube — a container
  22. squash — to crush
  23. tube — the underground
  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