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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. face — to point toward
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. face — to confront
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fine — high quality
  14. clip — for paper
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mate — a friend
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fine — all right
  22. face — part of the head
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. date — the fruit

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