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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 · lash · race · capital · mark · vault · current · sharp

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. clip — to cut
  4. sharp — clever
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. current — electric
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mark — a trace
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. clip — a video
  14. capital — money
  15. race — a contest
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mark — a grade
  19. race — the arms race
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. race — humankind
  23. clip — for paper
  24. capital — a city

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