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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. staff — a stick
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mug — to rob
  10. court — of law
  11. staff — employees
  12. mark — a trace
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mug — a face
  19. clip — a video
  20. mug — a cup
  21. staff — employees
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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