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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. race — humankind
  3. press — to push
  4. track — to keep track
  5. clip — for paper
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. press — newspapers
  8. dip — to sink
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — a video
  12. lie — to recline
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — to cut
  16. race — the arms race
  17. track — a song
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. tear — from crying
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. race — a contest
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. dip — to dunk

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