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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. plane — a tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mark — a grade
  11. clip — a video
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rock — music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. snap — to click
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mark — a trace

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