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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. squash — the sport
  12. court — of law
  13. fine — high quality
  14. clip — to cut
  15. court — for sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fine — all right
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bark — to shout
  24. court — of a king

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