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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: clip · bear · lash · bat · arm · firm · bass · snap

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. firm — decided
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. clip — for paper
  7. firm — steady
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. clip — to cut
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. firm — a company
  22. snap — to click
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bear — the animal

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