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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a song
  4. tear — from crying
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. scale — in music
  7. lean — to bend
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. track — a path
  12. clip — a video
  13. tear — to rip
  14. season — in sport
  15. lean — thin
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. track — to keep track
  19. roll — a list
  20. season — of the year
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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