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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mark — a grade
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mark — a trace
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stock — shares
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kick — in football
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. clip — a video
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pit — a hole
  24. stock — goods

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