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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. clip — a video
  4. mug — to rob
  5. snap — to click
  6. mug — a cup
  7. clip — to cut
  8. key — the most important part
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pound — a weight
  11. spring — the season
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mug — a face
  14. key — in music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. net — after costs
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. spring — of water
  20. key — for a lock
  21. net — for catching
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. net — in sport
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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