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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. bound — certain
  4. pit — a hole
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fine — all right
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. clip — a video
  11. bound — tied together
  12. face — to point toward
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bound — obliged
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pit — in a race
  18. clip — to cut

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