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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. hand — in cards
  3. scale — size or range
  4. toast — bread
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. hand — help
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. clip — a video
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. net — for catching
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lean — to bend
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. net — after costs
  22. lean — thin
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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