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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 120 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: tube · court · clip · bay · racket · pop · firm · bear

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. firm — steady
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. firm — a company
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. court — of a king
  18. pop — soda
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. firm — decided
  23. court — of law
  24. pop — music

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