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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spell — letters
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spell — magic
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. face — to confront
  9. court — for sport
  10. lean — to bend
  11. face — to point toward
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. clip — a video
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lie — to recline
  23. clip — for paper
  24. lash — to lash out

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