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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. clip — a video
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pass — a permit
  10. craft — boats
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. game — a match
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. face — part of the head
  18. craft — a skill
  19. face — to confront
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. game — wild animals

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