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

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pit — a hole
  4. spring — the season
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. clip — a video
  9. bank — for money
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bank — for money
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bank — of a river
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spring — of water

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