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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. race — a contest
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. club — for dancing
  7. suit — in cards
  8. race — the arms race
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. race — humankind
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. clip — a video
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mark — a grade
  21. suit — clothes
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. suit — to fit
  24. snap — to click

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