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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. last — finally
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. last — final
  7. pop — music
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. last — to go on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — a video
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pop — soda
  21. tube — a container
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. clip — to cut

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