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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. can — a tin
  4. suit — in cards
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — for paper
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. suit — to fit
  16. clip — a video
  17. can — to be able to
  18. clip — to cut
  19. can — a tin
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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