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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. toast — bread
  3. clip — to cut
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — a video
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ball — a dance
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ball — a great time
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stem — to come from
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. clip — for paper

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