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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · toast · firm · kid · last · clip · lash · pop

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. toast — bread
  3. firm — a company
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — child
  6. last — to go on
  7. pop — music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. clip — to cut
  11. kid — to tease
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. clip — for paper
  17. last — final
  18. firm — decided
  19. pop — to visit
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. firm — steady
  22. clip — a video
  23. last — finally
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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