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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 · pop · rest · mate · toast · kid · snap · temple

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kid — to tease
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. kid — child
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. clip — a video
  15. pop — soda
  16. snap — to click
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rest — what's left
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pop — music
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — to cut

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