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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ball — a dance
  4. clip — to cut
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. race — a contest
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. race — humankind
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ball — a great time
  17. clip — a video
  18. tube — a container
  19. race — the arms race
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tube — the underground

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