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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bass — low music
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spell — magic
  7. clip — for paper
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hand — help
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. lie — to recline
  20. clip — a video
  21. face — to confront
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. spell — letters

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