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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pit — in a race
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bat — the animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pit — a hole
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. snap — to click
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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