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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. track — a song
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — certain
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. track — a path
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. clip — a video
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. track — to keep track
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lean — thin
  20. snap — to click
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wind — to turn a key

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