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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. clip — a video
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. suit — clothes
  5. ball — a great time
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. roll — a list
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — to confront
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. clip — to cut
  13. band — a ring
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. face — part of the head
  19. suit — to fit
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. band — a music group
  22. face — to point toward
  23. suit — in cards
  24. date — the fruit

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