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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. clip — a video
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chip — for betting
  7. swing — to play on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. spell — magic
  14. can — a tin
  15. swing — music
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. spell — letters
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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