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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ball — a great time
  3. face — to confront
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. clip — a video
  6. face — part of the head
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. mug — a face
  10. clip — to cut
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mug — a cup
  18. branch — a division
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mug — to rob
  24. branch — of a bank

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