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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. clip — for paper
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fine — high quality
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. snap — to click
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — hurry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rash — a series
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. plane — a tool
  20. clip — a video
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fine — all right
  23. rash — hasty
  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