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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. toast — bread
  3. track — a song
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mate — to breed
  6. clip — a video
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wind — moving air
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a path
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. mate — a friend
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pop — soda
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pop — music
  20. object — a thing
  21. rush — hurry
  22. object — to protest
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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