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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 120 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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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: mug · spell · squash · lie · deal · degree · clip · face

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. clip — a video
  3. face — to point toward
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mug — a face
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. spell — letters
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. squash — to crush
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. face — part of the head
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mug — to rob
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lie — to recline
  19. face — to confront
  20. degree — temperature
  21. deal — to handle
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. spell — a short time
  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