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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: mine · pit · object · roll · clip · lash · wind · deal

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. object — an aim
  3. clip — a video
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. object — a thing
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pit — in a race
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pit — a hole
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. object — to protest
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. roll — a cake
  24. deal — to handle

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