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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: clip · bat · rush · can · shower · kid · ball · craft

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. craft — a skill
  10. kid — child
  11. can — a tin
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rush — hurry
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. shower — to wash
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ball — a dance
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. rush — a thrill

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