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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. court — for sport
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. band — a ring
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. squash — to crush
  18. band — a music group
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fine — high quality
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bat — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fine — all right

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