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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. band — a ring
  3. cue — a hint
  4. suit — in cards
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. hand — help
  8. clip — for paper
  9. hand — in cards
  10. can — a tin
  11. clip — to cut
  12. date — the fruit
  13. clip — a video
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. can — to be able to
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. suit — clothes
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cue — for pool
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cue — a signal
  24. band — a music group

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