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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. bank — for money
  5. face — to confront
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bank — for money
  10. face — part of the head
  11. clip — to cut
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. clip — a video
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — to point toward
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bank — of a river
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wound — an injury
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. safe — a strongbox

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