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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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. kick — in football
  3. object — to protest
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. object — a thing
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. clip — to cut
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. object — an aim
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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