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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · clip · mouse · wave · bay · hide · wind · present

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. clip — a video
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. clip — for paper
  12. present — the time now
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. present — there
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. present — a gift
  23. hide — animal skin
  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