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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. face — to confront
  3. pop — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. present — there
  6. clip — a video
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bank — for money
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bank — for money
  14. pound — a weight
  15. present — the time now
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fall — the season
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bank — of a river
  20. present — a gift
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pop — to visit
  24. key — in music

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