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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. last — final
  4. clip — a video
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. pop — soda
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. firm — a company
  11. last — finally
  12. clip — for paper
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. firm — steady
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pop — music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — to go on
  24. firm — decided

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