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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. clip — a video
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cue — for pool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. staff — employees
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bass — low music
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. staff — employees
  19. cue — a signal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fine — a penalty

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