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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wound — an injury
  3. firm — decided
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. track — to keep track
  7. clip — to cut
  8. track — a song
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rest — what's left
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. firm — steady
  15. track — a path
  16. deal — to handle
  17. clip — a video
  18. firm — a company

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