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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. toast — bread
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. craft — a skill
  11. dip — to sink
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. ground — a position
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. ground — crushed
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. clip — a video
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. clip — to cut
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ground — the earth

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