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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rush — hurry
  5. last — finally
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. last — final
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. chip — to eat
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. track — a path
  18. last — to go on
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. clip — for paper
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. clip — a video

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