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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pit — in a race
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. charge — a price
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. clip — a video
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. object — an aim
  16. charge — electricity
  17. land — a country
  18. object — a thing
  19. land — ground
  20. object — to protest
  21. land — to come down
  22. snap — to click
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. charge — in control

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