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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. band — a ring
  3. clip — a video
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. clip — for paper
  10. season — of the year
  11. stock — goods
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stock — shares
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. band — a music group
  19. clip — to cut
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. mouse — the animal

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