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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. staff — employees
  9. clip — to cut
  10. shower — rain
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cue — for pool
  13. clip — a video
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. squash — the sport
  18. drill — army training
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. drill — the tool
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cue — a signal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. drill — a practice

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