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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hand — in cards
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — in music
  7. fall — the season
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. scale — size or range
  11. suit — clothes
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. track — a path
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. suit — in cards
  18. track — a song
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. fall — to drop

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