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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — a series
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. clip — a video
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mate — to breed
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rash — hasty
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. hide — to keep secret

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