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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. object — a thing
  3. clip — for paper
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bound — tied together
  6. object — an aim
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bound — obliged
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. object — to protest
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bound — certain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. clip — to cut
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. ball — a dance
  20. foot — a measure
  21. clip — a video
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. snap — to click
  24. foot — the bottom

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