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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. clip — a video
  3. court — for sport
  4. clip — to cut
  5. charge — in control
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pop — to visit
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. charge — a price
  13. court — of a king
  14. charge — electricity
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — of law
  22. pop — soda
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pop — music

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