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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 want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. charge — in control
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rock — a stone
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. clip — a video
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cap — of ice
  11. shower — to wash
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. shower — rain
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rock — music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cap — a hat
  20. sharp — clever
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. sharp — with an edge

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