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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mark — a grade
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. clip — a video
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pop — to visit
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. suit — to fit
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pop — soda
  12. bore — to drill
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rest — a break
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. track — a path
  18. rest — what's left
  19. track — a song
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pop — music
  23. suit — clothes
  24. track — to keep track

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