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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spring — the season
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. clip — to cut
  8. spell — letters
  9. bound — tied together
  10. clip — a video
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fine — all right
  14. bound — certain
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spring — of water
  22. face — to confront
  23. clip — for paper
  24. spell — magic

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