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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. object — to protest
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. clip — a video
  5. object — a thing
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. land — to come down
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. land — ground
  10. pass — a permit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. ball — a dance
  13. clip — to cut
  14. object — an aim
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. land — a country
  18. mark — a trace
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. mark — a grade

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