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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cap — a lid
  3. clip — for paper
  4. kick — in football
  5. key — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. perch — the fish
  8. clip — to cut
  9. chip — to eat
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cap — a hat
  13. club — a group
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. club — for golf
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cap — of ice
  22. key — for a lock
  23. club — for dancing
  24. kick — a thrill

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