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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bank — for money
  3. clip — a video
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bank — of a river
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. clip — for paper
  8. spell — magic
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cue — a signal
  11. race — humankind
  12. pop — music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spell — a short time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pop — to visit
  18. spell — letters
  19. bank — for money
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. race — a contest
  23. cue — a hint
  24. race — the arms race

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