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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — for paper
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — farmland
  8. mark — a grade
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fall — the season
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. clip — a video
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. field — for sport
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. lie — to recline
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — a subject
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. sharp — clever
  24. coach — a trainer

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