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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. clip — a video
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. face — part of the head
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. track — to keep track
  13. face — to point toward
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. row — a line
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. clip — to cut
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bat — the animal
  23. face — to confront
  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