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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. spell — a short time
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. sharp — clever
  7. spell — letters
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. court — of law
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. lie — to recline
  12. face — to point toward
  13. clip — to cut
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wake — a trail
  16. spell — magic
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. clip — a video
  20. face — to confront
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. court — of a king
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — for sport

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