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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. present — there
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. clip — a video
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mark — a trace
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pitch — completely
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mark — a grade
  14. present — the time now
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. present — a gift
  21. file — a tool
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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