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

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mug — a face
  4. lie — to recline
  5. clip — for paper
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rule — government
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. clip — a video
  18. rule — a law
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. racket — for tennis

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