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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. spell — letters
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. season — of the year
  10. mark — a grade
  11. swing — music
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mark — a trace
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. face — to point toward
  19. swing — to play on
  20. clip — a video
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. face — to confront
  24. season — in sport

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