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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. clip — a video
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. court — of law
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. clip — to cut
  16. court — of a king
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. season — in sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. season — of the year
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. court — for sport

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