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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pit — in a race
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pit — a hole
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. band — a music group
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. clip — to cut
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bound — obliged
  21. band — a ring
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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