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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. clip — a video
  3. plane — a tool
  4. clip — for paper
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chest — of your body
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chest — of your body
  13. press — a publisher
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fine — all right
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chest — a box
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fine — high quality
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. racket — for tennis

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