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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. clip — to cut
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. clip — a video
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. perch — the fish
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. clip — for paper
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — help
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. face — part of the head
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stand — to bear

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