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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. clip — a video
  5. rush — hurry
  6. last — final
  7. clip — for paper
  8. last — to go on
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cue — a signal
  11. last — finally
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rash — a series
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cue — for pool

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