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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. clip — a video
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. clip — to cut
  10. club — for dancing
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. club — a group
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. club — for golf
  15. snap — to click
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pit — a hole
  20. row — a line
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. row — to paddle
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. fork — a garden tool

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