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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hand — help
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. snap — to click
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kick — in football
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. clip — for paper

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