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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wake — a trail
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. suit — to fit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. present — a gift
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. present — there
  12. hand — in cards
  13. land — a country
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lean — thin
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. clip — a video
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. suit — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. present — the time now
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lean — to bend

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