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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wake — a trail
  4. track — a path
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. clip — for paper
  7. track — to keep track
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. track — a song
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. clip — a video
  16. suit — to fit
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pitch — completely

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