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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rule — a law
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. hand — help
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bore — to drill
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. clip — for paper
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rule — government
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. clip — a video

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