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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.

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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: face · pit · sharp · racket · clip · spell · toast · wind

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. toast — bread
  4. spell — a short time
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. spell — magic
  8. pit — a hole
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pit — in a race
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. face — to confront
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spell — letters
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. face — to point toward
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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