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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 120 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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. dip — to sink
  3. clip — a video
  4. face — part of the head
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pass — a permit
  7. face — to confront
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mug — a face
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wind — moving air
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. clip — to cut

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