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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mark — a grade
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. clip — a video
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tube — a container
  22. clip — to cut
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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