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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wind — moving air
  6. clip — for paper
  7. tube — a container
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pop — soda
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pop — music
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ball — a round shape

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