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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. sharp — clever
  3. clip — a video
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bound — obliged
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bound — tied together
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. clip — for paper
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. clip — to cut
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bore — to drill
  17. face — to confront
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bore — to tire
  20. face — part of the head
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bound — certain
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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