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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. clip — a video
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. fine — high quality
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mug — a face
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fine — all right
  10. game — wild animals
  11. snap — to click
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. clip — for paper
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bound — certain
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. kid — child
  19. bound — obliged
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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