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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bass — low music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ground — a position
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bass — the fish
  16. clip — a video
  17. rash — hasty
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bowl — a football final

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