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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — a video
  3. dip — to sink
  4. track — a song
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. sharp — clever
  7. track — a path
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rest — a break
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fall — the season
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fall — to drop
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — to keep track
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wax — in the ear

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