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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. clip — a video
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. tube — the underground
  8. clip — for paper
  9. tube — a container
  10. clip — to cut
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. swing — in golf
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. face — to confront
  17. swing — to play on
  18. face — to point toward
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. craft — boats
  23. swing — music
  24. spell — letters

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