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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. clip — to cut
  3. ball — a dance
  4. hand — in cards
  5. root — of a word
  6. mug — a cup
  7. clip — a video
  8. rock — a stone
  9. hand — help
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. firm — steady
  13. mug — to rob
  14. firm — decided
  15. root — the cause
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mug — a face
  19. ball — a great time
  20. clip — for paper
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. firm — a company
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rock — music

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