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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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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. clip — for paper
  4. race — a contest
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. race — the arms race
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. clip — a video
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pass — a permit
  19. shower — rain
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. shower — to wash
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. suit — to fit
  24. race — humankind

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