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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · snap · bowl · hide · rule · staff

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. clip — for paper
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rule — a law
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. clip — a video
  8. staff — employees
  9. rule — government
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. hide — to keep secret

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