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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ball — a great time
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fine — all right
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rash — a series
  13. kick — in football
  14. wind — moving air
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wind — moving air
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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