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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. shower — to wash
  6. season — of the year
  7. shower — rain
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. clip — a video
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hand — help
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mug — a face
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. hand — in cards
  18. season — in sport
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mug — a cup
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mug — to rob

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