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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. land — ground
  4. press — newspapers
  5. clip — for paper
  6. swing — music
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. band — a music group
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. press — to push
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. land — a country
  13. mark — a grade
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. swing — in golf
  17. clip — a video
  18. kick — in football
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. land — to come down
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. press — a publisher
  24. clip — to cut

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