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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. face — to confront
  5. clip — to cut
  6. craft — a skill
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. craft — boats
  12. pop — music
  13. suit — clothes
  14. shower — rain
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. row — a line
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. face — to point toward
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. shower — to wash
  24. row — to paddle

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