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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. ground — crushed
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bat — the animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ground — a position
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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