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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. roll — a cake
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. clip — a video
  6. pop — to visit
  7. drill — army training
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rock — music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fine — all right
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — clothes
  15. roll — a list
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pop — music
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rock — a stone
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. suit — to fit
  24. roll — on a roll

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