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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. band — a music group
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mark — a trace
  10. shower — rain
  11. band — a ring
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — to breed
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. snap — to click
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. clip — a video
  23. shower — to wash
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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