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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — magic
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. kick — in football
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spell — letters
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bound — certain
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. plane — a tool
  24. clip — to cut

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