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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. clip — a video
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bat — the animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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