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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ball — a dance
  3. clip — to cut
  4. track — a song
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — thin
  8. stock — shares
  9. clip — a video
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rush — hurry
  13. track — a path
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stock — goods
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pass — a permit

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