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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rush — hurry
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rock — music
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. snap — to click
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. land — ground
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. charge — electricity
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. clip — for paper
  15. land — to come down
  16. charge — in control
  17. rest — what's left
  18. clip — a video
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rest — a break
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. charge — a price
  23. rock — a stone
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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