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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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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: stick · ground · roll · bowl · face · deal · lie · clip

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. ground — the earth
  5. clip — to cut
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lie — to recline
  12. deal — to handle
  13. roll — a cake
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. ground — crushed
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ground — a position
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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