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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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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 · mouse · present · drill · mark · bat · clip · fork

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mark — a grade
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. present — there
  9. drill — army training
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. clip — for paper
  14. face — to confront
  15. present — a gift
  16. clip — a video
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. drill — the tool
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. present — the time now
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mouse — the animal

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