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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rock — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. clip — a video
  10. pound — a weight
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. ball — a great time
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. drill — the tool
  22. ball — a dance
  23. drill — army training
  24. clip — for paper

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