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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. snap — to click
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pop — soda
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rock — music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. clip — a video
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pop — to visit
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pop — music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. racket — for tennis

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