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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. present — there
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — a song
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cue — a hint
  7. present — the time now
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. spell — magic
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. track — a path
  15. press — to push
  16. bound — certain
  17. cue — a signal
  18. spell — letters
  19. bound — obliged
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bound — tied together
  22. spell — a short time
  23. present — a gift
  24. clip — a video

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