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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 124 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. row — to paddle
  4. clip — a video
  5. present — there
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mate — a partner
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. track — a song
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. present — a gift
  14. season — of the year
  15. present — the time now
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — a path
  21. mate — to breed
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rash — a series

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