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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. snap — to click
  3. clip — a video
  4. charge — a price
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. clip — to cut
  7. march — music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. march — the month
  10. spell — letters
  11. pop — to visit
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pop — soda
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. charge — electricity
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. charge — in control
  24. pop — music

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