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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. clip — a video
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lie — to recline
  16. band — a ring
  17. shower — rain
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rush — hurry
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cue — a signal

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