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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 116 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. dip — to sink
  5. kick — in football
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a music group
  11. cue — for pool
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. track — a song
  19. key — in music
  20. cue — a signal
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. track — to keep track
  23. key — for a lock
  24. track — a path

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