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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 116 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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. clip — for paper
  5. scale — size or range
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. court — of law
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. court — of a king
  20. rule — government
  21. court — for sport
  22. rule — a law
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. perch — for a bird

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