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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. face — to point toward
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — letters
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spell — magic
  11. staff — a stick
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. clip — a video
  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