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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — crushed
  4. board — a committee
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lean — thin
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. face — to confront
  9. mug — a cup
  10. ground — a position
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mug — to rob
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. board — to get on
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mug — a face
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ground — the earth
  23. clip — a video
  24. leaves — of a tree

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