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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cap — a hat
  6. clip — a video
  7. fine — all right
  8. bank — for money
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mark — a trace
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cap — of ice
  18. clip — to cut
  19. land — to come down
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — ground
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cap — a lid
  24. land — a country

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