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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. track — to keep track
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mate — a friend
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. track — a song
  7. tube — a container
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tube — the underground
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pit — a hole
  16. clip — a video
  17. pit — in a race
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. track — a path
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. clip — to cut

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