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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. snap — to click
  3. rock — a stone
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. clip — a video
  6. lean — thin
  7. clip — to cut
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bound — obliged
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chair — a leader
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lean — to bend
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. ball — a dance

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