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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. clip — to cut
  5. toast — bread
  6. clip — for paper
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. clip — a video
  10. fine — high quality
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fine — all right
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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