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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mark — a grade
  7. band — a music group
  8. clip — a video
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. club — a group
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. tube — a container
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. club — for golf
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. band — a ring
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. tube — the underground
  24. band — a rubber band

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