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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bound — tied together
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. field — for sport
  7. bound — certain
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. track — a song
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wake — a trail
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. field — a subject
  20. clip — for paper
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. field — farmland
  24. rush — hurry

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