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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. toast — bread
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. clip — a video
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. date — the fruit
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wound — an injury
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wound — an injury
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. clip — to cut
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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