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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. kid — to tease
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stock — goods
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wax — to grow
  9. snap — to click
  10. mug — a face
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stock — shares
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — child
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. clip — for paper

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