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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spell — letters
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. plane — a tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. clip — to cut
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spell — magic

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