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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. tube — the underground
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. face — to point toward
  7. clip — a video
  8. tube — a container
  9. clip — for paper
  10. face — part of the head
  11. snap — to click
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. plane — a tool
  15. present — the time now
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. clip — to cut
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fine — all right
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. face — to confront
  24. sharp — clever

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