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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: last · can · lash · clip · saw · kick · sharp · pop

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. last — to go on
  3. pop — soda
  4. saw — the tool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pop — music
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pop — to visit
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. sharp — clever
  13. can — a tin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. last — finally
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. last — final
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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