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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. clip — for paper
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cue — a signal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ground — a position
  15. clip — to cut
  16. spring — the season
  17. perch — the fish
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cue — a hint
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  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