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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pop — soda
  3. march — the month
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pop — music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pit — in a race
  19. clip — a video
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. march — music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. clip — to cut

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