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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. spell — a short time
  3. face — part of the head
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. clip — a video
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. face — to confront
  14. clip — for paper
  15. court — of a king
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mark — a trace
  20. court — of law
  21. spell — letters
  22. clip — to cut
  23. court — for sport
  24. mark — a grade

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