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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. drill — a practice
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — to keep track
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. scale — in music
  8. track — a path
  9. rash — a series
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. drill — the tool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. squash — the sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. drill — army training
  19. rash — hasty
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. squash — to crush

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