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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rock — music
  4. can — a tin
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mug — a cup
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. can — a tin
  14. snap — to click
  15. mug — a face
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rule — a law
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. face — to point toward
  20. clip — a video
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rule — government
  23. face — to confront
  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