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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — a company
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. clip — a video
  8. chest — a box
  9. firm — decided
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. firm — steady
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hand — in cards
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fine — all right

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