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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pop — music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. clip — for paper
  9. band — a ring
  10. clip — a video
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. present — there
  16. pop — to visit
  17. clip — to cut
  18. band — a music group
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rush — hurry
  21. can — a tin
  22. present — the time now
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pop — soda

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