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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. season — in sport
  4. face — part of the head
  5. clip — a video
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cue — for pool
  9. season — of the year
  10. face — to confront
  11. cue — a signal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ground — the earth
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cue — a hint

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