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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. perch — the fish
  3. last — finally
  4. clip — a video
  5. chip — for betting
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. clip — to cut
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. chip — to eat
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. board — a committee
  23. clip — for paper
  24. date — the fruit

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