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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. clip — to cut
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. clip — for paper
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. lean — to bend
  12. track — a path
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. clip — a video
  17. court — of law
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. lean — thin
  21. object — an aim
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. lash — to lash out

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