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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mate — to breed
  4. clip — a video
  5. spell — magic
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lean — thin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. face — part of the head
  11. clip — to cut
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hand — help
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — to bend
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. face — to confront

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