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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. capital — a city
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. clip — a video
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. capital — money
  16. snap — to click
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. clip — for paper
  19. date — the fruit
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. date — on the calendar

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