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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — in a road
  3. ball — a dance
  4. present — a gift
  5. ball — a great time
  6. spring — of water
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. suit — clothes
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. suit — to fit
  21. spring — the season
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. suit — in cards

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