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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 124 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. face — to confront
  3. bound — certain
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — to cut
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pass — to succeed

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