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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 · pound · pit · swing · present · lash · object · can

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. swing — in golf
  3. clip — a video
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. clip — for paper
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. present — a gift
  10. swing — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. can — to be able to
  16. clip — to cut
  17. object — an aim
  18. pit — a hole
  19. object — to protest
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. can — a tin
  22. present — there
  23. object — a thing
  24. present — the time now

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