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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: plane · clip · bay · pass · snap · lash · kick · pop

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. kick — in football
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. clip — a video
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pop — soda
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pop — to visit
  19. clip — to cut
  20. snap — to click
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pop — music
  24. bay — a horse colour

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