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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. clip — to cut
  3. object — to protest
  4. mark — a grade
  5. clip — a video
  6. pop — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. object — a thing
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pop — to visit
  14. present — the time now
  15. clip — for paper
  16. object — an aim
  17. hand — help
  18. pop — soda
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mark — to pay attention

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