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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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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 · present · clip · rush · stick · kick · fork · mouse

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. clip — a video
  5. present — a gift
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. present — there
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kick — in football
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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