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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lash · pitcher · date · clip · stand · court · snap · season

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. court — of law
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. season — in sport
  9. stand — to bear
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. court — of a king
  15. clip — for paper
  16. snap — to click
  17. court — for sport
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. date — the fruit
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stand — on your feet

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