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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 120 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. clip — a video
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. press — a publisher
  6. kid — child
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rock — a stone
  11. clip — for paper
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. clip — to cut
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. press — to push
  19. rock — music
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lean — to bend
  24. kid — to tease

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