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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. face — to point toward
  3. clip — to cut
  4. face — part of the head
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. squash — the sport
  8. club — for dancing
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kid — to tease
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. club — for golf
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. toast — bread
  15. club — a group
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. face — to confront
  18. squash — to crush
  19. scale — in music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. scale — size or range
  23. perch — the fish
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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