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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
468
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 · suit · chip · bat · lash · spell · fine · stem

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stem — to come from
  3. suit — to fit
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bat — the animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fine — high quality
  17. spell — letters
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. spell — magic
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lash — an eyelash

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