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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. game — a match
  3. object — a thing
  4. track — a song
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — to keep track
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. clip — for paper
  11. track — a path
  12. mark — a grade
  13. object — an aim
  14. mark — a trace
  15. clip — a video
  16. lean — to bend
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lean — thin
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. clip — to cut
  24. object — to protest

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