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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: key · clip · ground · mouse · rush · racket · bark · mate

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mate — a friend
  9. key — in music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ground — a position
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. clip — a video
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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