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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — a video
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. rash — hasty
  8. track — to keep track
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. lie — to recline
  11. row — a line
  12. rash — a series
  13. clip — for paper
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. clip — to cut
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. row — to paddle
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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