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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. last — finally
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. drill — army training
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. last — to go on
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pound — a weight
  13. drill — the tool
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — to fit
  16. last — final
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ball — a dance
  24. suit — in cards

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