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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 120 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: lash · clip · pit · rash · plane · kick · race · hand

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. clip — a video
  3. race — a contest
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pit — in a race
  8. hand — help
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rash — hasty
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. race — humankind
  17. kick — in football
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. race — the arms race
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hand — in cards
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pit — a hole
  24. kick — a thrill

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