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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 common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. clip — a video
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pit — a hole
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. row — to paddle
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. clip — for paper
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. hand — help
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pit — in a race
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. clip — to cut
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. vault — a safe
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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