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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. roll — a cake
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spell — a short time
  5. clip — a video
  6. spell — magic
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spell — letters
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. clip — to cut
  13. plane — a tool
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. net — in sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. net — after costs
  22. ball — a dance
  23. roll — a list
  24. net — for catching

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