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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. pop — soda
  5. net — in sport
  6. clip — to cut
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pop — to visit
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cap — a lid
  14. object — a thing
  15. pop — music
  16. net — for catching
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. net — after costs
  19. cap — of ice
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. object — an aim

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