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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. spell — a short time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ball — a dance
  10. clip — a video
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chair — a leader
  13. clip — to cut
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. spell — letters
  16. lie — to recline
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spell — magic
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. clip — for paper
  24. leaves — lets stay

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