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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. rest — a break
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. clip — a video
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to click
  8. mark — a trace
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. hand — help
  15. rest — what's left
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. safe — a strongbox

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