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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. can — a tin
  3. roll — a list
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. roll — a cake
  9. net — after costs
  10. fork — in a road
  11. can — to be able to
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. net — in sport
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. net — for catching
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. present — a gift
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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