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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. key — the most important part
  5. track — a path
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bound — certain
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. clip — to cut
  11. key — in music
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. bound — obliged
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stock — shares
  17. rule — a law
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stock — goods
  21. rule — government
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. track — a song

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