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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. clip — to cut
  3. face — to confront
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chest — a box
  8. clip — a video
  9. net — in sport
  10. fine — high quality
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. face — part of the head
  16. net — for catching
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fine — all right
  20. clip — for paper
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. net — after costs
  23. chest — of your body
  24. plane — a tool

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