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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. toast — bread
  7. net — for catching
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a dance
  12. net — after costs
  13. wax — to grow
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ball — a great time
  16. snap — to click
  17. lie — to recline
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. clip — a video
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. lie — an untruth

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