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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. clip — a video
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wake — a trail
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — finally
  14. sharp — clever
  15. scale — in music
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. last — to go on
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. clip — to cut
  24. last — final

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