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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lie — to recline
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. kid — child
  21. pound — a weight
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. suit — to fit
  24. lash — an eyelash

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