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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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. clip — a video
  3. band — a ring
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. charge — a price
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rest — a break
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rest — what's left
  14. charge — in control
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bore — to tire
  20. charge — electricity
  21. band — a music group
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. clip — to cut

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