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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mate — to breed
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. snap — to click
  11. field — farmland
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mate — a friend
  23. clip — a video
  24. mouse — for a computer

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