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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — final
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — to go on
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. club — for golf
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. current — electric
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chair — a leader
  16. club — for dancing
  17. current — of water
  18. club — a group
  19. last — finally
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. clip — a video
  23. current — happening now
  24. chair — to sit on

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