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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bank — for money
  5. ball — a dance
  6. track — a path
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a great time
  11. clip — to cut
  12. scale — in music
  13. track — a song
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. clip — a video
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bank — for money
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. track — to keep track
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bank — of a river

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