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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cue — for pool
  4. spell — magic
  5. face — part of the head
  6. roll — a list
  7. bulb — for light
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cue — a signal
  12. face — to confront
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bulb — for light
  15. face — to point toward
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. clip — a video
  18. spell — a short time
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. clip — to cut
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. spell — letters

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