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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 120 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. clip — a video
  5. rest — a break
  6. swing — music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pop — soda
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pop — music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. clip — for paper
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. swing — to play on
  20. snap — to click
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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