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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. bank — of a river
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pass — a permit
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bank — for money
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. hand — help
  15. race — the arms race
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ball — a dance
  18. race — a contest
  19. bank — for money
  20. wake — a trail
  21. ball — a great time
  22. race — humankind
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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