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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. clip — to cut
  3. scale — in music
  4. clip — for paper
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spell — letters
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. face — part of the head
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. clip — a video
  16. spell — a short time
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. scale — size or range
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. spell — magic
  22. fork — in a road
  23. face — to confront
  24. fork — to eat with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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