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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. swing — to play on
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. ball — a dance
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rest — a break
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ball — a great time

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