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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: mine · fan · coach · pitcher · fine · content · mouse · clip

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fine — all right
  15. content — happy
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. content — the amount
  19. clip — a video
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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