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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: cabinet · game · bass · clip · bay · foot · ball · wound

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. clip — to cut
  3. game — a match
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wound — an injury
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bass — low music
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bass — the fish
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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