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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. track — a path
  3. plane — a tool
  4. track — a song
  5. file — a document
  6. squash — to crush
  7. suit — clothes
  8. file — a tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fall — the season
  13. clip — a video
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. suit — to fit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. kick — in football
  18. squash — the sport
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. suit — in cards
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — to keep track
  23. file — a line of people
  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