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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 116 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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chip — to eat
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cue — a signal
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — to fit
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bass — low music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bulb — for light
  21. suit — clothes
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wound — an injury
  24. clip — a video

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