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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ground — crushed
  5. object — a thing
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. object — to protest
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. ground — the earth
  15. object — an aim
  16. wax — to grow
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. ground — a position
  24. wax — for sculpting

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