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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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Word bank
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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: racket · bore · snap · squash · rest · nail · rush · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. snap — to click
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — to cut
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rest — a break
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rush — hurry
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bore — to drill
  21. clip — for paper
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. racket — a loud noise

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