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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. object — to protest
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. charge — electricity
  9. clip — a video
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. object — a thing
  13. charge — in control
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bat — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. plane — a tool
  18. charge — a price
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. clip — to cut
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. object — an aim

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