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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. drill — army training
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bear — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pound — a weight
  12. ball — a great time
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stock — shares
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stock — goods
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. drill — a practice

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