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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. pass — a permit
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. hand — help
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rush — hurry
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. toast — bread

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