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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 120 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ball — a great time
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fall — to drop
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pass — a permit
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rule — a law
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. clip — a video
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fall — the season
  22. rule — government
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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