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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. snap — to click
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pop — music
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. club — a group
  12. clip — a video
  13. pop — to visit
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pop — soda
  19. track — a path
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. track — a song
  24. saw — the tool

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