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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. clip — a video
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. face — to point toward
  6. race — a contest
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mate — to breed
  10. face — to confront
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mate — a partner
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. race — humankind

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