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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pop — soda
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pop — music
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. clip — a video
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bore — to tire
  12. hand — help
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. plane — a tool
  24. hand — in cards

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