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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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mug — a cup
  3. court — for sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. court — of a king
  7. rest — a break
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. firm — steady
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. court — of law
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rash — a series
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wax — to grow
  20. firm — a company
  21. rash — hasty
  22. clip — a video
  23. firm — decided
  24. rash — on the skin

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