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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. firm — a company
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. clip — a video
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. spell — letters
  23. clip — for paper
  24. plane — in geometry

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