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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. hand — help
  3. clip — a video
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. spell — a short time
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. spell — letters
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. object — an aim
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pit — a hole
  16. clip — for paper
  17. object — to protest
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pit — in a race
  21. clip — to cut
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. spell — magic
  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