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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. clip — a video
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — in sport
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. clip — to cut
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. swing — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rash — hasty
  14. swing — to play on
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. face — part of the head
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rash — a series
  19. season — of the year
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. face — to point toward
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. face — to confront

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