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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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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 · stick · ground · drill · present · fork · face · fine

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fork — in a road
  12. ground — a position
  13. present — the time now
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. drill — the tool
  18. ground — crushed
  19. present — a gift
  20. drill — army training
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. present — there
  23. drill — a practice
  24. clip — for paper

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