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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. craft — boats
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. ground — a position
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. craft — a skill
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. clip — to cut
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. clip — for paper

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