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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: mouse · hand · spell · roll · ball · clip · cell · charge

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. hand — help
  4. spell — letters
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spell — magic
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. roll — a cake
  11. cell — in biology
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. ball — a great time
  16. charge — a price
  17. roll — a list
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. charge — electricity
  23. clip — for paper
  24. charge — in control

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