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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. kid — child
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. clip — a video
  5. track — a song
  6. bank — of a river
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rule — government
  9. track — a path
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bank — for money
  13. rule — a law
  14. kid — to tease
  15. march — the month
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. march — music
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bank — for money
  23. march — the month
  24. clip — to cut

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