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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. clip — to cut
  3. drill — army training
  4. court — for sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. court — of law
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. last — final
  13. court — of a king
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. mark — a trace
  17. drill — a practice
  18. clip — for paper
  19. last — to go on
  20. mark — a grade
  21. clip — a video
  22. last — finally
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. drill — the tool

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