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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. hand — in cards
  5. track — a path
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. clip — a video
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. face — to point toward
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. face — part of the head
  15. track — to keep track
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. track — a song
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. hand — help
  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