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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. net — for catching
  3. object — an aim
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. season — in sport
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bat — the animal
  13. kick — in football
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. face — to confront
  18. season — of the year
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. net — in sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. object — a thing
  23. net — after costs
  24. object — to protest

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