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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pit — in a race
  4. face — to point toward
  5. tube — the underground
  6. face — part of the head
  7. clip — a video
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. hand — help
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. tube — a container
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. pit — a hole
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitch — completely
  21. face — to confront
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rock — a stone

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