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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: race · mouse · dip · clip · present · wake · perch · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — to cut
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. clip — a video
  7. race — a contest
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. present — a gift
  12. wake — a trail
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. race — the arms race
  15. perch — the fish
  16. present — there
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. race — humankind
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. snap — to click
  21. present — the time now
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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