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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. face — to confront
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. game — a match
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ball — a dance
  18. club — for golf
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. club — a group

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