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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cell — a phone
  8. clip — to cut
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lie — to recline
  16. season — of the year
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. clip — a video
  21. season — in sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. clip — for paper
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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