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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. clip — a video
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bound — obliged
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bound — certain
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lean — to bend
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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