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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. clip — a video
  3. land — ground
  4. clip — to cut
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pit — in a race
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mark — a grade
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. land — a country
  14. snap — to click
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mark — a trace
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. land — to come down
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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