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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. clip — a video
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. clip — to cut
  12. object — a thing
  13. stock — goods
  14. rash — a series
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pit — a hole
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stock — shares
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lean — thin
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. clip — for paper

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