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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spell — letters
  12. face — part of the head
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — low music
  16. toast — bread
  17. spell — a short time
  18. clip — a video
  19. face — to confront
  20. clip — for paper
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — to point toward
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. calf — a young animal

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