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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. clip — a video
  3. roll — a list
  4. bound — tied together
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cap — a hat
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rest — a break
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. clip — for paper
  13. roll — a cake
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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