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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mate — a partner
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cue — for pool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bear — the animal
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — a video
  23. tear — from crying
  24. safe — a strongbox

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