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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. clip — a video
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. spell — magic
  5. track — a song
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. spell — letters
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — to cut
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. sharp — clever
  23. spell — a short time
  24. arm — part of the body

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