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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. scale — size or range
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. last — final
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. clip — to cut
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. clip — a video
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pop — soda
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. craft — boats
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pop — music
  24. scale — in music

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