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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. clip — a video
  3. fine — high quality
  4. capital — a city
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. firm — a company
  9. bulb — for light
  10. capital — money
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fine — all right
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. firm — decided
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. firm — steady
  19. charge — electricity
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wind — moving air
  22. charge — in control
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. charge — a price

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