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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fine — all right
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fine — high quality
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lean — to bend
  13. clip — a video
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rock — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lean — thin
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ball — a great time
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rock — a stone
  24. clip — to cut

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