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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a cake
  5. season — in sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. clip — a video
  12. track — to keep track
  13. season — of the year
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lie — to recline
  16. roll — a list
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. track — a path
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. clip — to cut
  24. lie — an untruth

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