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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 seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rock — a stone
  5. face — to confront
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rock — music
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. clip — a video
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bass — low music
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. clip — for paper
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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