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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cue — a hint
  3. clip — a video
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. clip — to cut
  9. roll — a cake
  10. track — to keep track
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cue — for pool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cue — a signal
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. plane — a tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. track — a path
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — for paper

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