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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. track — a path
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. clip — a video
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. track — to keep track
  9. scale — in music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rush — hurry
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — the cause
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. snap — to click
  21. pass — a permit
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. track — a song
  24. clip — to cut

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