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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. snap — to click
  3. clip — for paper
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cue — for pool
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — all right
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. clip — a video
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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