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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. clip — a video
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cue — a hint
  6. season — in sport
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lean — thin
  11. net — after costs
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cue — a signal
  16. ground — a position
  17. face — part of the head
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. face — to point toward
  20. season — of the year
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cue — for pool
  23. face — to confront
  24. net — for catching

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