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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mark — a trace
  3. clip — a video
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. dip — to sink
  11. prune — to trim
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mark — a grade
  19. hand — help
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. clip — for paper
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pass — to spend time

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