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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mark — a grade
  3. season — in sport
  4. mark — a trace
  5. clip — a video
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tear — to rip
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bass — low music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. season — of the year
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tear — from crying

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