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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cue — a hint
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mine — for digging
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. clip — to cut
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. clip — a video
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mark — a grade

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