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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. court — of law
  11. clip — for paper
  12. present — there
  13. court — for sport
  14. clip — to cut
  15. present — the time now
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lie — to recline
  23. court — of a king
  24. present — a gift

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