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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.

Make a worksheet

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: clip · pitcher · ball · season · bark · mine · suit · mug

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. season — of the year
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ball — a dance
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mug — a face
  14. clip — for paper
  15. season — in sport
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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