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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hand — in cards
  6. clip — a video
  7. rush — hurry
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hand — help
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. deal — to handle
  13. clip — for paper
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. charge — electricity
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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