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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. clip — to cut
  5. face — to confront
  6. shower — rain
  7. face — to point toward
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. perch — the fish
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bat — the animal
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. foot — a measure
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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