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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. clip — a video
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bore — to drill
  12. clip — for paper
  13. root — the cause
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mug — a face
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rule — a law
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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