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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. lean — thin
  3. last — to go on
  4. clip — a video
  5. track — a song
  6. perch — the fish
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. clip — to cut
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. track — a path
  16. last — finally
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. track — to keep track
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — to confront
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — final
  24. perch — for a bird

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