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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bank — for money
  3. mug — a cup
  4. suit — clothes
  5. snap — to click
  6. suit — to fit
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. clip — a video
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wind — moving air
  12. clip — for paper
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bank — of a river
  15. clip — to cut
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. suit — in cards
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bank — for money
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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