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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. clip — a video
  3. bulb — for light
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mug — a cup
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mug — to rob
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — a face
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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