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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bear — the animal
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — music
  5. chest — a box
  6. race — the arms race
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mug — a cup
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mug — a face
  24. clip — to cut

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