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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. charge — in control
  3. band — a music group
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. cue — a signal
  7. clip — a video
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cue — a hint
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spring — a coil
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. charge — a price
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. swing — music
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. band — a ring
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. charge — electricity
  21. swing — in golf
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. swing — to play on

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