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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. clip — a video
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. band — a ring
  12. mug — a cup
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. band — a music group
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. court — of law
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rush — hurry

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