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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. face — to point toward
  3. clip — a video
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. clip — for paper
  6. net — after costs
  7. scale — in music
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. scale — size or range
  10. shower — to wash
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. clip — to cut
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — rain
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bear — the animal
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mug — a face
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. net — in sport
  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