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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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468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. kick — a thrill
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. toast — bread
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. kick — in football
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bass — low music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — for digging
  22. clip — a video
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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