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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lean — thin
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. clip — a video
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mark — a grade
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. charge — in control
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wake — a trail
  20. clip — for paper
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lean — to bend
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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