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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 · deal · roll · pit · bat · clip · foot · wind

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pit — a hole
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. roll — a cake
  9. clip — a video
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — in a race
  17. roll — a list
  18. bat — the animal
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. deal — to handle
  24. roll — on a roll

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