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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. clip — a video
  5. staff — employees
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bass — the fish
  10. clip — to cut
  11. track — a path
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bulb — for light
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — of law
  24. mate — a friend

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