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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. face — to confront
  4. clip — for paper
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stand — to bear
  9. kid — child
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. face — to point toward
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. season — in sport
  17. foot — a measure
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. season — of the year
  21. kid — to tease
  22. clip — a video
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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