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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. ball — a dance
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. snap — to click
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. clip — a video

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