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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. clip — for paper
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. clip — a video
  15. game — wild animals
  16. toast — bread
  17. spring — a coil
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. clip — to cut
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. leaves — to go away

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