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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. march — the month
  3. drill — army training
  4. march — the month
  5. clip — for paper
  6. chair — a leader
  7. suit — clothes
  8. clip — to cut
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. march — music
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. current — of water
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. clip — a video
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. suit — in cards
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. suit — to fit

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