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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: fan · cap · hand · clip · deal · bound · kick · lash

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kick — in football
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. clip — a video
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bound — obliged
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. hand — help
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cap — a hat
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. fan — to cool the air

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