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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — high quality
  4. clip — for paper
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. swing — in golf
  7. clip — a video
  8. swing — music
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fine — all right
  12. prune — to trim
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. roll — a list
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. clip — to cut
  21. swing — to play on
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kick — a thrill

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