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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.

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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: ball · cabinet · hand · clip · bay · mouse · pound · craft

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. craft — a skill
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pound — a weight
  21. hand — help
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — a video

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