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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bound — tied together
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. clip — a video
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bound — certain
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. craft — boats
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. craft — a skill

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