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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. season — of the year
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. present — the time now
  8. clip — a video
  9. band — a music group
  10. clip — to cut
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. present — there
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hand — help
  18. band — a ring
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. clip — for paper
  23. kick — in football
  24. lie — to recline

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