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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. face — to point toward
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cell — a phone
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. toast — bread
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — hasty
  14. face — part of the head
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. craft — boats
  17. clip — for paper
  18. craft — a skill
  19. clip — a video
  20. court — of law
  21. rash — a series
  22. cell — in biology
  23. face — to confront
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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