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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cue — for pool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cue — a signal
  6. track — a path
  7. tube — a container
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. track — a song
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. clip — to cut
  12. tube — the underground
  13. branch — a division
  14. clip — a video
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pass — a permit
  17. perch — the fish
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cue — a hint
  20. clip — for paper
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. track — to keep track
  24. tube — in a tire

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