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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — hurry
  8. track — a path
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. track — to keep track
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. clip — for paper
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. clip — a video
  16. capital — a city
  17. tube — a container
  18. track — a song
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. tube — in a tire

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