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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. clip — for paper
  3. object — an aim
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rock — music
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stock — goods
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. object — a thing
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stock — shares
  18. object — to protest
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rash — a series
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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