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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 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 seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. track — to keep track
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. club — for dancing
  6. present — there
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. file — a tool
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. clip — a video
  11. press — newspapers
  12. track — a path
  13. club — a group
  14. present — the time now
  15. track — a song
  16. file — a line of people
  17. club — for golf
  18. press — to push
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. press — a publisher
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. present — a gift
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. file — a document

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