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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. shower — rain
  5. fine — all right
  6. net — for catching
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pass — a permit
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. clip — a video
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. face — to point toward
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — to wash
  19. face — part of the head
  20. fine — high quality
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. face — to confront
  24. lie — an untruth

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