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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. track — a path
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. track — to keep track
  12. chair — a leader
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rock — music
  18. present — the time now
  19. bear — the animal
  20. track — a song
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. present — a gift
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bear — the animal

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