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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bulb — for light
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. shower — to wash
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. clip — to cut
  19. face — to point toward
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. shower — rain
  23. kick — in football
  24. clip — a video

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