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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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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bat — the animal
  6. suit — to fit
  7. rule — government
  8. kick — in football
  9. clip — to cut
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. snap — to click
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — in cards
  23. rule — a law
  24. bat — for baseball

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