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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bass — low music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bass — the fish
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mark — a trace
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. clip — a video

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