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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. march — the month
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. band — a ring
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — music
  17. clip — for paper
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. clip — a video
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a music group
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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