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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. saw — the tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. present — there
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. clip — a video
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. clip — for paper
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mate — a partner
  12. can — a tin
  13. mate — to breed
  14. present — a gift
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mate — a friend
  20. present — the time now
  21. can — a tin
  22. object — an aim
  23. clip — to cut
  24. object — a thing

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