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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a music group
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. saw — the tool
  11. band — a ring
  12. fine — high quality
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bear — the animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — a video
  24. fine — all right

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