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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. clip — for paper
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mine — for digging
  7. file — a tool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. track — a song
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rash — hasty
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mark — a trace
  21. clip — a video
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. file — a document

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