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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.

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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: clip · pit · charge · fan · bear · wound · ball · calf

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. charge — a price
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. charge — in control
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pit — in a race
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pit — a hole
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. charge — electricity
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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