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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. clip — a video
  3. track — a song
  4. last — final
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. track — to keep track
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. track — a path
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — to cut
  11. deal — to handle
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. last — to go on
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. last — finally
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. hide — animal skin

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