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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. clip — for paper
  5. face — part of the head
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spell — magic
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rock — music
  11. season — of the year
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spell — a short time
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. net — for catching
  16. spell — letters
  17. rock — a stone
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. season — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. net — in sport

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