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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. spell — a short time
  2. mate — to breed
  3. track — a path
  4. bass — low music
  5. track — a song
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mate — a partner
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. clip — a video
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bass — the fish
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. track — to keep track
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mate — a friend
  19. spell — letters
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spell — magic
  22. tear — from crying
  23. dip — a sauce
  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