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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · clip · mine · face · racket · date · wave · bass

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mine — for digging
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bass — low music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. face — to confront
  17. bass — the fish
  18. clip — a video
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lie — to recline
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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