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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 116 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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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: clip · cabinet · can · wound · mouse · last · racket · ground

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. clip — a video
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. can — a tin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. clip — to cut
  14. last — finally
  15. ground — a position
  16. last — to go on
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ground — the earth
  23. last — final
  24. racket — for tennis

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