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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. sharp — clever
  6. face — to point toward
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. roll — a cake
  9. face — to confront
  10. saw — the tool
  11. roll — a list
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — part of the head
  16. court — of law
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. clip — to cut
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fine — high quality
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. clip — a video
  23. fine — all right
  24. clip — for paper

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