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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: clip · suit · hide · bat · root · straw · face · season

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. face — to point toward
  6. suit — to fit
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. face — to confront
  10. suit — in cards
  11. clip — for paper
  12. root — of a plant
  13. season — of the year
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. root — of a word
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. root — the cause
  19. season — in sport
  20. suit — clothes
  21. clip — a video
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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