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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.

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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. clip — for paper
  3. deal — to handle
  4. object — to protest
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. rash — a series
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. spell — magic
  12. rash — hasty
  13. object — an aim
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mate — a partner
  16. clip — a video
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. object — a thing
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mate — to breed
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — on the skin

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