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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. clip — to cut
  3. board — to get on
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pop — to visit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spell — letters
  8. mark — a grade
  9. board — a committee
  10. mark — a trace
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spell — magic
  14. clip — for paper
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. clip — a video
  19. pop — soda
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pop — music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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