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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. clip — a video
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. lie — to recline
  7. clip — to cut
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. face — to confront
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cell — a phone
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cell — in biology
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — a series
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fan — a supporter

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