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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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. stock — shares
  4. cue — a signal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. toast — bread
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cap — a hat
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bound — certain
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. clip — a video

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