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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 124 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. staff — employees
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. track — a path
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. clip — to cut
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. band — a ring
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. staff — a stick
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. band — a music group
  24. march — music

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