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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mug — to rob
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. snap — to click
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mate — a friend
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mug — a face
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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