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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. branch — a division
  3. net — after costs
  4. clip — to cut
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. suit — to fit
  8. race — humankind
  9. suit — in cards
  10. clip — a video
  11. race — the arms race
  12. snap — to click
  13. suit — clothes
  14. net — for catching
  15. club — a group
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. clip — for paper
  18. net — in sport
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. club — for golf
  23. race — a contest
  24. club — for dancing

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