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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pop — music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. club — for dancing
  8. kick — in football
  9. clip — to cut
  10. staff — a stick
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pop — soda
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lie — to recline
  15. club — for golf
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — a video
  18. face — to confront
  19. court — of a king
  20. club — a group
  21. court — for sport
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pop — to visit
  24. court — of law

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